Plakoor



M. G. KUPF.

PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION mzo NOV. 1. m2.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

\ WITNESSES: M/VENTUR A TTORNE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELROSE G. KOPF, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RALKO PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PORTABLE FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

Application filed November 1, 1917. Serial No. 199,622.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that'I MELROSE G. KOPF, a cit'zen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Fire- Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had the'rein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to portable fire extinguishers, and more particularly to that "lass of fire extinguishers in which the easing, or body portion, is grasped in the hand of the operator while the liquid is being discharged therefrom.

In fire extinguishers of this type now on the market, for the most part at least, the liquid is discharged from the casing or container by means of pumping mechanism consisting of a cylinder and a piston mounted within the casing and which must be manipulated by the operator. This construction is open to several serious objections, among which are the following: The piston and its ylinder bein constantly submerged in the fire extinguishing liquid within the container are subjected to the corrosive action of the chemical elements of the liquid which not infrequently causes the piston to stick or freeze to the walls of the cylinder, thus interfering with the proper operation of the device and sometimes rendering it Wholly inoperative; it is very difficult to grasp the casing with one hand and hold the same steady while operating the pump with the other hand, hence it is almostimpossible to direct the stream of liquid accurately upon the fire; the pumping mechanism occupies a considerable s ace within the casing and it is necessarytiatthe casing should hemade correspondingly larger in order that it may contain the necessary amount of liquid; and further the mechanism is expensive to manufacture and the fire extinguisher is correspondingly high priced, thus making it impractical to sub stitute a plurality of extinguishers of smaller size, which could be more conveniently handled, for a single large container.

In certain. makes of fire extinguishers of this type provision is made for the storing of a small quantity of air in the casin by the action of the umpin mechanism. While this enables to liquid to be discharged more continuously from the casing it does not eliminate the pumping operation and therefore does not prevent the wabbling of the casing and of the stream of liquid.

The object of the present invention is to provide a fire extinguisher of this type which will be free from the faults above enumerated; and to this end it is a further object of the invention to provides. device of this kind from. which the liquid will be discharged in a continuous stream without action on the part of the operator other than that required to set the mechanism in o eration, thus enabling the stream of liquid to be directed accurately upon the fire.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct and arrange the mechanism that when the extinguisher is in its normal, idle position the operating mechanism will not be in contact with the liquid within the container and will therefore not be subjected to the chemical action thereof.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct and arrange the mechanism that a small-sized casing will contain a relatively large amount of liquid, thus enabl'in the device to be made in small sizes, whic 1 are not only more convenient to handle, but are less expensive.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an exteriorly arraned controlling device for the mechanism wliich discharges the liquid, which device will be of such a character that it can be quickly and easily operated to release the mechanism for op eration, and will be compactly arranged when the extinguisher is idle.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for controlling the stream of liquid which is discharged from the casing; and to combine with this controlling device a stopper which can be removed to permit the casing to be refilled.

It is a further object of the invention to provide in combination with such a fire extinguisher, a supporting device which w ll serve to automatically release the liquid dischargin device Within the casing and thus render t e extinguisher operative so that it will require only the opening of the discharge valve to render the device as a whole operative. Other objects of the invention willl appear as the device is described in detai In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 isa front elevation of a fire extinguisher embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig, 1; F g- 3 is a det i v e of a pq e i of the extinguisher slmwing the rehiasli g device for the operating mechanism; Fig. 4- is a sectional view taken on the line 41- of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a front elevation, partially bi .keu ewey, slowing e supp ing and releasing devices; and Fig. (3 is a detail view of the nozzle member.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention and have shown the sonic as comprising a casing having at cylindrical body its ends by (nip-She ed c 7. f The ces'ing ma he 0 nny suitable n'iqterin i, siich'es cast iron, steel, or glass. he character of thecherniciils stored in the easing w l n lly av a a ing Den t character ii materiel ei'nployed in its constjutiop. 'As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the cylinder dthe lower cylinder head ("i are cas tin a sin piece and the upper cylin- (161' head fl" is detechahly secured thereto, in t e pres nt in tene by ll i h' the N inder head 7 'with e screvvthreeded flange S to engage corresponding threads in the up er end of the eylinder 5. The lower eyliniier ,I 6 QYi e w th d ch rg iigen i end, the n e p en ru tlq s a nwanli ttendi g hose, or n k, w isk is we. hr oied twelve t p E9 10' ii i'iig a it 91. f 1 a ed,

941%, 1 by means 9'. irhieh it may be m n-, hei .cl sle i s inner en by portion 5 closed at linder lieadsfi and r is the Q s ifil lfili' but i Th pi) wi l 2 hayin rei s; e 91 enie 1.3 iich c dnstii utes ii e gisciiarge op engng ifo r the c sio or so i ei ex- This poie no :by of a 'vgilve 1ft which is connected with, and reierably formed integral with, a nozzie ,5 which is screw-threaded into the bellow .f tepps l an ha a .gi g u a l xtent asse ver 2 est e 8 3h i i bf sircja e a ts 4 g en'dto bridge yelv ne nber 1 1s nonzle SQ PI'ZQYiql Qf-Wliill e milled nut, o heed in 1Q wens f whi h i m y b minimm t #13; th va e F*, a thu open rJ se th d scharg 9 ienifl i to edits: th yalye t .r s e s size .0. e stream which is disch ged. re ferably the ill i A 4; ha an i v id y e t nd i ge 1. nin h, w en t e v9 14 Seat inc qae the s 1, 2 i, 9 h o p $9 i e x it 1, 26 is nobl lh n imly m g-vies he p exe i th devic ut it p es ts to m mento: a emgl do v-"J to h nema thu mekmg it mp9s it e 591' the, 1m in the i' zwiemem fiiflmt $4 J m, to totem 7 e liquid is discharged from the none n -r esteme i e n the .dieqherg ens niezs'li ieg i e ly looked .11 inoperative position and being released only When it is desired to use the fire extinguisher. As here shown this neeharniie n consists of a spring aetunted piston 20 mounted in the cylinder 5. As here shown the piston is an ordinary solid piston and is provided with a piston ring 21 to insure a tight lit with the wailil of [t tle cylinder. A spring 22 is coufined between the piston 20 and the upper cylinder head 7 and serves, when the piston is released, to move the piston toward the lower end of the cylinder and discharge the liquid thereironi through the port 13. Bhespring maybe of any suitable character 1 1 1; is here shown as of a type which may be compressed into a very sn oll compact form and thus will occu y but little room within the cylinder when the piston is in its idle position. Suitable means ere arranged exteriorly of the casing for controlling the operation of the piston. As here shown a retracting devlee is connected with the piston and extends through an opening 23 in the upper cylinder head 7. thus enahiing the piston lo be withdrawn to its idle position, against the tension. of the sp ring and pen initting it to he moved downwardly by the spring when released. Rrefera hl y this retracting device is foldoble that it may be positioned close to the caning when not in use, in the present instence it is shown as e exlble cord, or wire cable 24, which s rigidly secured aiits inner end to the piston end may be folded ebont the outer surface of the cyli n er head 7 and carried downwardly along to side .of the casing. The cord is royided with a handle 25 to enable it to ioe easily operated, and this handle also serves as a locking device. To this end the handle cooperates with a pair of lugs 26 project ng from the casing near the .lower end thereof and spaced. apart to receive the cord 24 between them. When he c rd has he Pie be w n the the handle vi 1 held in contaet tele ith by the actionon the spring of the piston. To release the pistgn it is on y neeess ry to m re the le ou tw lTdly ,to withdraw the cord {cyl nder bleeds. lld be so constructed that no'sha r turns will be imparted to the cord when tie serneis .6111? about theouter surface ,thereo Io'this end th ylinder head is groyied with e thickened v g ortioln, or rib, 2 having a long curve at its upper end, adj (lent to the 0p ing 3 in the cylinderhead and tapered ii ziwnwardly until it me ges t th e ter sur ce of the ylinderheed near the owner edge thereof. The structure is provided: with Suitable megtns for support ng the some in an upright post tion, such a a ii i or plate, 28, provided w th a keyhole slot 29, which plate is in the presen instance fanned integral with l s e gage the lugs and will fie KQIH Ib LWGBH $1 2,111 It i n jl sirehle fli I the upper cylinder head 7 and extends upwardly in line with the adjacent portion of the cylinder 5. When this supporting plate has been placed in engagement with a stud or screw in the wall where it is desired to support the fire extinguisher, the device will hang with the discharge nozzle downward and with the piston and its spring at the upper end of the casing where they will be out of contact with the liquid in the casing. Consequently there is no opportunity for the liquid to act upon the piston or to leak past the piston so as to act upon the spring or other parts of the mechanism, or to escape from the casing. As the piston is not relied upon to retain the liquid within the container when the latter is in its normal, idle position it is not necessary that the fit of the piston within the cylinder be so tight as to prevent leakage. When it is desired to use the extinguisher it is removed from the wall, the handle 25 moved out of engagement with the lugs and released. As soon as the nozzle has been brought to play upon the fire it is rotated to unseat the valve 13 and permit the liquid to be discharged in a continuous stream, the size of which may be regulated by adjusting the valve. The action of the spring upon the piston not only produces a continuous stream but serves to operate the piston until the liquid is entirely discharged without any further action whatever on the part of the operator, thus allowing him to give his whole attention to the directing of the stream upon the fire. When the container has been emptied and it is desired to refill the same the piston is moved to its uppermost, or idle position, and locked in this position. The combined stopper and nozzle are then removed and the container again filled with the fire extinguishing liquid, after which the combined stopper and nozzle are replaced and the valve closed. There is no pressure whatever on the liquid when the device is idle and the pressure at no time is excessive, consequently the casing may be made of relatively light material, which not onl renders the same less expensive, but re uces its size and weight, and thus makes it more convenient to handle.

If desired there may be provided in con nection with the supporting device, or plate, 28, a device which will automatically release the piston, by disengaging the handle from the lugs, as the device is removed from the wall. To this end I have provided a pair of arms 30 which project outwardly from the wall about the neck of the container, at the lower end thereof, and are provided at their outer ends with hook-shaped portions 31 which engage the handle. As the con tainer is usually hung in an elevated position it will be apparent that in removing the same from the wall it is first moved up Wardly to permit the plate 28 to be removed from the supporting screw and the upper portion thereof will then be moved downwardly, the device as a whole turning about the point of contact of the handle with the hook-shaped portions 34 of the arms 30. When the container has been turned end for end to bring the discharge end uppermost, the hooks will extend between the handle and the end of the container, and consequently as the discharge end of the device passes the hooks its outward movement will serve to withdraw the handle from the lugs and thus release the piston. The casing may be made either partly or wholly of glass and, as shown in Fig. 5, I have made the cylinder of the casing of glass, as this material is not only impervious to the chemical action of the liquids, but also enables the amount of liquid in the container to be readily determined.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details of construction as various modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1: In a fire extinguisher, a casing adapted to be grasped by the hand of the operator during the discharge of the liquid therefrom and having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing, a spring arranged between said piston and one end of said casing to act on said piston, a retracting device connected with said piston, extending through the end of said casing and having that portion thereof which extends beyond said casing when said piston is in its retracted osition flexible to permit the same to be folded into a position alongside of said casing, and means arranged externally of said casing to cooperate with said retracting device to retain said piston in its retracted position.

2. In a fire extinguisher comprising a casing adapted to be grasped bv the hand of the operator during the discharge of the liquid therefrom and having a discharge opening, a piston mounted. in said casing, a spring arranged between said piston and the end of said casing to act on said piston, a flexible retracting device connected with said piston and extending through the end of said casing, and means secured to one side of said casing and cooperating with said flexible member to retain said piston in its retracted position.

3. In a fire extinguisher comprising a casing adapted to be grasped by the hand of the operator during the discharge of the liquid therefrom and having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casingg'a llb 5 ring arranged between said piston and t e end of said casing to not on said piston, a flexible 'itrncting, member connected with said piston and extending through the end oi snid cnsing, a handle secured to said [h-xible member, and a, device secured to seid casing to engage said hnndle end retain said piston in its retracted position.

t. 1n n fire extinguisher comprising a erasing: adopted to he gritsped in the hand oi the operator during the discharge of the l quid therefrom and having at discharge opening, a, piston mounted in said casing, a spring unzipped hetween the end of said onsng and suit piston to not on the letter, a ex'hle retracting device connected with said piston and extending thrpngh the end of said casing, a, handle secured to snid flexible device, and per-ts projecting from said casing near the discharge end thereof to engage said handle and retain. said piston in its retracted position.

5. In a fire extinguisher, a casing having on opening; in one end thereof, it boss surrounding said opening, e stopper screwthi'cndod into said hoss end having it discharge opening connuunicetin with the in terior of said cnsing and also ILLVlIlg or head by means of which it may be manipulated, a nozzle having a portion screwthreeded into seid stopper and hevii g a not by means of which it niey he rotate said nut having it flenge nrrnnged to inclose the hood on snidstopper when the nozzle is in its nnermost position, said nozzle :ils haying n passnge pey con'npuniceting witi said diS- cherge opening, a valve connected with said nozzle and adapted to open and close said discharge opening, it piston mounted in said casing, and means to actuate said piston to force the contents of said casing through Said discharge opening.

G. In it fire extinguisher, a cousin having an opening in one end thereof, a 05s surroundin said opening, a stopper screwthreade into said boss and having a discharge opening communicating with the interior of said cnsing and also having a head by means of which it may be mnnlpulated, a nozzle having a, rtion screw-thneaded into Said stopper en having a nnt by means of which it mey be rotated, said nozzle also havin a passageway communicating with said ischnrge opening, it valve connected with said nozzle end adapted to open and close said discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing, a spring confined between said piston and the end of said casing to act on the piston to cause the contents of the casin to be discharged through said opening, a pxible retracting member connected with said piston, and a part carried by said casing and cooperating with Oppieg of this potent may be pbtained for jive cents each, Washington, D;

snid actuating member to retain the piston in its retracted position.

7. in it fire extinguisher comprising a casing adapted to be grasped by the hend of the operator during the discharge of the liquid therefrom and having at disohnrge openii' g at one end thereof, menus to close snid opening, it piston mounted in snid ensing, it springnoting on said piston to move the same toward sniddisehzu 'ge opening, it flexible ineu her connected with said piston end extending through that end oi} snitl casing opposite said discharge opening, it handle co nected with said flexible member, pints projecting from the side of said casing to engage said handle and retain said piston n its uppermost position, n supporting device secured to that side of seid casing 0pposite snid projecting parts, and a device :Ldnpted to be mounted on e fixed sup )ort near said casing and having parts eXhOIlL inp; transversely of said casing and provided with hook-shaped portions to engage said handle.

8.111 n fire extinguisher comprising at casing adapted to be grasped by the hand of the operator during the discharge of the liquid therefrom and having in, discharge opening at one end thereof, means to close said opening, a piston mounted in said oasing, a spring acting on said piston to move the same toward said discharge opening, a flexible member connected with said piston and extending through that end of said casing opposite said discharge openin a handle connected With said flexible me n er, means carried by said cnsing to engage said handle to retain the piston in its uppermost position, a supporting device for sa d casing, and n device adapted to be mounted on a fixed support to engage said handle and disengage the same from said engaging means when said casing is removed from said supporting device, thereby releasing said piston.

9. In a fire extinguisher icolnprising a casing having a. discharge 0-, hing et one end thereof and adap ed t grasped i the an o h ope ator urins'th di charge of the liqnid therefrom mechanism mounted within said casing to discharge the liquid through said opening, means for re taming said mechanism normally in an inoperative posit oinn supporting de ties for said casing, and a device ads edto be mounts on a fixed support ant cogiipereting with said supporting device release the mechanism wit do sa d casing re n said retain-in means when said casing is removed rorn said supporting device.

In testimony whe eof I efli my signature hereto.

MELBOS'E G. KOPF.

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